Welcome back to It Came From The 80’s, the new series where we dissect some of the greatest
horror movies to come out of the 80’s, and why they became the classics that they did.
So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, this is It Came From The 80’s -- this time with, Friday
The 13th.
A highly demanded film that I can’t wait to examine.
Before we begin, be sure to stick around until the end of the video where I’ll be responding
to some of your comments.
So, let’s jump in.
Friday the 13th was released back in 1980 and directed by Sean S. Cunningham who, outside
of Friday the 13th, was known for little else, with films like The Art of Marriage, Case
of the Full Moon Murders, and A Stranger Is Watching occupying space on his resume.
The film itself tells the story of a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered
one by one by an unknown killer while they attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp.
Now, Friday the 13th was initially prompted by the success of John carpenter’s Halloween,
with Sean S. Cunningham putting out an advertisement to sell his film in early 1979, while Victor
Miller, the writer, was still drafting the screenplay.
Cunnigham took a lot of his cues when going into the film from Wes Craven, our last topic
of conversation, with Cunningham having worked with the filmmaker on The Last House on the
Left.
Inspired by Halloween, Cunningham wanted Friday the 13th to be shocking, visually stunning,
and a film that would make audience members jump out of their seats.
Now, the original screenplay was tentatively titled A Long Night at Camp Blood, however,
when working on redrafts, Cunningham proposed the title Friday the 13th, but of course,
he had a fear that someone may have already owned the rights, prompting Cunningham to
commission a New York advertising agency to develop the concept of the Friday the 13th
logo, which consisted of big block letters bursting through a pane of glass.
An iconic image for an iconic movie.
By mid-1979, Victor Miller had completed the screenplay, and of course was over the moon
at the idea that he had created a serial killer who would turn out to be somebody’s mother,
a murdered whose only motivation was to love and protect her child.
I quote, “I took motherhood and turned it on its head and I think that was great fun.
Mrs. Voorhees was the mother I’d always wanted -- a mother who would have killed for
her kids.”
Saying that though, as we know in future sequels, the franchise was ultimately changed so that
Jason Voorhees was the killer, something that Miller did not agree with, I quote, “Jason
was dead from the very beginning.
He was a victim, not a villain.”
Preach Victor.
Preach.
Now, of course, in the first Friday the 13th, Jason made a haunting cameo at the end of
the movie, a scene which was not initially used in the original script, with Miller’s
final draft actually ended with Alice merely floating on the lake.
Jason’s appearance came about after a suggestion from makeup designed Tom Savini, who stated,
“The whole reason for the cliffhanger at the end was I had just seen Carrie, so we
thought that we need a chair jumper like that, and I said, let’s bring in Jason.”
Now, the film was of course a success nonetheless, with it going on to spark 11 more sequels,
including a crossover with our previous horror movie villain, Freddy Krueger, in the iconic
movie Freddy Vs Jason -- what a classic.
Now, after seeing the later titles in the franchise, going back to watch the original
can be a little surprising.
It’s tamer than you would expect, with little gore and hardly any nudity -- and of course,
there’s no hockey mask.
If you’re in search of a hockey mask-wearing killer you actually need to fast forward to
the second sequel, where we get our first real appearance from Jason.
Well -- the killer Jason, not the drowned boy.
Now, as previously stated, Halloween began the slasher genre, but it can be said that
it took Friday the 13th to pave the road.
Although the film itself isn’t the best, with characters that are paper-thin and the
story existing entirely as an excuse for carnage.
It was instead Jason which made the franchise such a success.
And of course, above all else, the first film actually wasn’t even scary -- in parts it
was atmospheric, yes, but that was simply down to the low-key style.
Now, let’s talk about Jason.
Jason, as aforementioned, would become the series’ flagship killer, however, he would
not make his first real appearance until Part II.
He lives primarily in the backstory, and appears in a dream sequence, but other than that,
he’s not relevant to the events at Camp Crystal Lake -- until the end of the movie
that is -- and more importantly, he is not the killer.
A quote from the movie goes like this, “There’s a legend around here.
A killer buried, but not dead.
A curse on Crystal Lake, a death curse.
Jason Voorhees’ curse.
They say he died as a boy, but he keeps coming back.
Few have seen him and lived.
Some have even tried to stop him...No one can.
People forget he’s down there, waiting ...” Now, moving forward in the franchise, this statement
held true.
Following the events of the first movie, and after having witnessed his mother’s murder-spree,
Jason, also having witnessed his mother’s death, grabbed her sweater, pants, severed
head, and the machete that killed her and returned to his shack with them, placing the
objects on a crude altar he had constructed.
This is what would kickstart his murderous rampage -- beginning in the summer of 1984.
When a brand new group of teenagers occupied the nearby Packanack Lodge.
Now, I won’t go into too many details, because I don’t want to spoil the movie for any
of you, what I can say about Jason though, is that he has superhuman strength: this is
shown in part 2, where he is shown to have enhanced strength capable of impaling victims
with ease, as well as breaking out a window with a single shot.
He also has pain resistance, Stealth, Intelligence, Revenant Zombie Physiology, Supernatural Strength,
Immortality, Regeneration, Resurrection, Supernatural Durability, Teleportation, and finally, weapons
proficiency.
The latter being incredibly important in the later movies.
For example Part II, where he used an Ice Pick, Barbed Wire, a Tree, Hammer, Machete,
Spear, Knife, Pitchfork, and a Pickaxe.
Yeah, Jason loves his weapons.
Now, some trivia for you Friday the 13th lovers out there.
Did you know that Jason has the most kills out of any other horror film slasher, with
his total number being around 151.
So now you know all the details.
How exactly was the film such a success.
Firstly, upon release back on May 9, 1980, the film earned approximately $5,816,321 in
its opening weekend, before finishing domestically with $39mill.
Making it the 18th highest-grossing film of that year, putting it in direct competition
with The Shining, Dressed to Kill, The Frog, and Prom Night.
Now, the critical response was of course mixed, with Linda Gross of the LA Times referring
to it as , I quote, “a silly, boring, youth-geared horror movie” however, she did praise the
musical score.
Many compared the movie unfavorably against Halloween, and stated that the film was minimal
on plot, suspense, and characterization.
However, it’s legacy certainly speaks for itself.
Friday the 13th was what initiated the subgenre of the “stalker” or slasher film, and
in turn instigated a rush of films to follow in its footsteps.
The film, though panned, has attained a significant cult following of the years, and in 2017,
Complex ranked the film ninth on a list of the best slasher films of all time.
As a standalone movie, Friday the 13th is unremarkable and easily forgettable --- however,
the same words cannot be said to describe its impact upon cinema as a whole.
If Halloween created the Slasher, Friday the 13th is definitely it’s offspring.
Without this franchise, the face of horror would be drastically different, and though
opinions may vary, you can’t discredit the impact the entire franchise had on the horror
genre as a whole, because what Friday the 13th does right, is that it takes the real
world of the 1980s and demonstrates to teens that they can survive it, given the right
set of skills.
Respect.
Well, there we have it!
That was our breakdown of Friday the 13th.
Would film would you like us to tackle next on It Came From The 80s?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below.
Before I go though, I just want to respond to a few comments from one of our last videos,
Top 5 Scary Korean Urban Legends.
Sxardeath Kingfire said “3:12 Lucy is possessed confirmed.”
-- That was actually me laughing, but good to know, you guys can’t handle that.
Duly noted.
Bobby McGruther said “Lucy be my friend or don’t, I mean do what you want, I’m
not your dad” -- Wait...you’re not?
What a disappointment.
Thorin693 said “Dressed in white and long hair.
Is Lucy a virgin ghost?
“ -- I can confirm that I am definitely NOT.
And on that note, if you haven’t already, be sure to give this video a big thumbs up,
subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another scary vid.
And until next time, see ya later.